Gay Edmonton

Edmonton

The fur trade brought the first Europeans to the area. Later the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon, fertile soils, relatively mild winters, and then oil and gas discoveries brought settlers here. Recently a strong technology sector has also developed. The North Saskatchewan River created Edmonton's river valley. At 22 times the size of New York's Central Park, this is the longest stretch of connected urban parkland in North America, full of natural beauty, with lakes, ravines, bike and walking trails. The city has the highest per capita area of parkland of any Canadian city.

A cultural, governmental and educational center, Edmonton plays host to a year-round slate of world-class festivals. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra performs classical masterworks, pops, and children's concerts. The Citadel Theatre has a five-hall complex of theaters with a variety of stage productions, both mainstream and alternative. The Jubilee Auditorium, on the University of Alberta campus, features performances of the Alberta Ballet, the Edmonton Opera, Broadway shows, stand-up comedians, theatre productions, popular bands, orchestras, and dance. For a look at some area museums and galleries, see our events and activities pages.

Often called the "Festival City" Edmonton has numerous events, especially during the long summer days, but also throughout the year. In August the popular Fringe Theatre Festival takes place, but there are associated events all year long. The International Street Fest features an featuring our international cast of jugglers, acrobats, hip hop dancers, sword-swallowers, musicians and more at Sir Winston Churchill Square each July. The biggie each year is K-Days in July, with ten days of concerts, fireworks, wine, food, a chuck wagon derby, horse racing, carnival rides and midway - and more.

Edmonton Pride, nine days of celebrations each June, include a parade, a festival with stage entertainment and vendors, dance parties, and dozens of events. The gay scene is not large but it is lively with several gay and lesbian clubs, the Pride Center with drop-in social services, resources and library, and many organizations offering a diverse variety of social activities.

The West Edmonton Mall is the largest shopping center of it's kind in North America, with over 800 stores on three indoor levels; plus restaurants, cinemas and the World Waterpark, a five-acre playland with a huge wave pool, water slides, hot tubs, and tropical temperatures. Also here is Galaxyland, the world's largest indoor amusement park, featuring over two dozen rides.

Getting here

The Edmonton International Airport has connections to the US, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The Edmonton City Centre Airport closed in late 2013. Skyshuttle provides transportation to and from Edmonton International.

Inter-city rail passenger rail service is provided by Via Rail to points all across Canada. From the Edmonton railway station Toronto is a trip of 63.5 hours, and Vancover is 27 hours by train.

Getting around

Edmonton Transit System is the main public transit agency, operating the Light Rail Transit line with service every 5-15 minutes at 15 stations along a 21 km route between Clareview and Century Park. They also have a large fleet of buses. Service ends by approximately 1:30am on weekdays and at around midnight on weekends, so taxis or a car are a necessary part of a night on the town.

The DailyXtra website covers LGBT news, current events, opinions and listings for Canada and the world, along with travel articles on this site.

Two gay/lesbian community groups sponsor local events: Fruit Loop, "for a diverse community of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transfolk, queers, two spirited, straights, allies, cherries and berries to mix, mingle and have fun" every month or two; and Qmunity League, building queer community on the plains.

For gay-friendly general listings and reviews of arts, film, music, restaurants and nightlife see VueWeekly.

The Pride Centre of Edmonton (10608-105 Ave) offers community programs and events throughout the year, and an extensive LGBTQ Library Collection. Each June the Edmonton LGBT community celebrates their Pride Festival.